I have joined the dark side and purchased a Z4 3.0 in Merlot Red possibly a Marmite colour. Can any body tell me if you can transfer a cherished number on to a sorn vehicle if you own both vehicles. Then I will be selling my Z3 2.8 with its matching hardtop which has been a pleasure to own.

The cherished plate is currently on my z3 which is currently taxed and insured were the z4 is neither taxed or insured but is probably taxed in the previous name I was planning sorning the z4 until I sell the z3 hence the guestion. Advice would be appreciated.

You can get a private plate "retained" by DVLA for 1-year at a cost of £105. You can then transfer it to the new vehicle at your leisure and with no other "transfer fee". A normal transfer from one car to another costs £80. I recently did the former myself and my insurance company didn't make a charge for simply changing the registration on their records - although practices may vary as Pingu says.
Also, I was very surprised at the quality of the plates from the following - they were BMW main dealer quality:-http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191059690823? ... EBIDX%3AIT

lowriderz3 wrote:The cherished plate is currently on my z3 which is currently taxed and insured were the z4 is neither taxed or insured but is probably taxed in the previous name I was planning sorning the z4 until I sell the z3 hence the guestion. Advice would be appreciated.

Just to confirm...

1) You have just bought a Z4. It won't be taxed if you bought it after 1st Oct 2014. It's not insured.
2) You are trying to sell your Z3 which has your private plate on it.

If that is correct, I would...

Option One
Put the cherished number on retention. This will cost £105 (£80 transfer fee and £25 annual retention fee). If you keep the plate on retention you will have to pay the £25 fee every year until you put it on a car. You won't need to tax or insure or MOT the Z4.

When you complete the retention form, make sure that you use EXACTLY the same name and address that is on the V5C for the Z4 (even if it is wrong). If they don't match, DVLA may not allow you to assign the number to the car before you correct the mistake (at a cost).

When you sell the Z3, insure the Z4, tax the Z4, transfer the cherished plate to the Z4. This is "free" as you have already paid the transfer fee.

If the Z3 sells quickly, this option will cost you £25 more (as you will have retained the plate when you didn't need to), but will mean that you only have to insure and tax either the Z3 OR the Z4, but not both.

or

Option Two
Insure the Z4. MOT the Z4 (if not already insured). Tax the Z4. Transfer the cherished number straight onto the Z4. This will cost £80 (the transfer fee only - there is no retention fee).

This will save £25 if the Z3 sells quickly, but you will have to pay double insurance and double tax as both cars will be taxed and insured.

What I would do
I'd choose option 1. It's easier to sell a car that doesn't have a cherished plate as the transfer can take upto six weeks (it usually takes less than a fortnight).

The buyer of the Z3 can buy the car when they view it and not have to wait for you to get the new V5C.

You used to be able to go into the local DVLA office and transfer the retained number to the new car over the counter. You will need to find out how long it takes to do now - I think you can do it over the phone or online. You need to make sure that the name on the retention certificate and the V5C for the Z4 are EXACTLY the same. F. Smith and Fred Smith are not the same. F B Smith and F Smith are not the same.